Combined door-closer and insect-excluder.



I PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903.

r J. A. NAMSEY. OOMBINED DOOR CLOSER AND INsEOT BXOLUDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1902. i

11o MODEL.

1W. .l E, 3 .N a m w H/ f l w f g d W s s J M a f w w UNrrnD STATES vATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. RAMSEY, OF BEATRICE, NEBRASKA.

COMBHNED DOOR-CLOSER AND lNSECT-EXCLUDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\lou 718,581, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed June ll, 1902. Serial No..11l,228. (No model.)

To all whom, it' may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. RAMsnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beatrice, in the county of Gage and State of Nebraska, have inventeda new and useful Combined Door-Closer and Insect-Excluder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices employed for the purpose of automatically closing doors and also excluding insects which would otherwise enter through the door-opening during the opening-and closing movements of the door.

The object of the invention is to produce a simple practical device which will not 'only automatically close the door, but which will create a strong draft at the side of the dooropening by causing a series of paddles or brushes to loe rapidly rotated and also to provide means for cushioning the closing of the door.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction as hereinafter shown and described, and specied in the claims.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure 1 is a side View of a portion of a door-casing and a portion of a screen-door with the invention applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail illustrating the construction of the brush or paddle operating mechanism., Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig.y 1.

The device may be applied to any form of outside door, but will preferably be operated in connection with screen-doors, and for the purpose of illustration itis shown in the drawings applied to a screen-door, the door being represented at 10 and the casing at 11, both of the ordinary construction.

The device consists in a vertical shaft 12, revolubly mounted in brackets 13 and 14 upon the door-casing adjacent to the free edge of the door. The shaft 12 may be of any desired length, but will generally be of a length less 'than the height of the door and located with the upper bracket 13 at the top of. the door, as shown in Fig. l. This shaft 12 is surrounded at its upper part with a tubular casing 15, connected to the shaft at its upper end and revoluble therewith, while the lower end of the casing is loosely mounted upon a bracket'l, the latter having a hub 17 rising therefrom within the shell 15 and forming a bearing for the latter. The ends of the shaft 12 are supported upon balls 13 19 within the brackets 13 14, as shown in Fig. 2, to reduce the friction to a minimum. The casing 15 incloses a coiled spring 20, surrounding the shaft 12, with its upper end attached to the shaft 12, as at 21, and its lower-.end attached to the bracket 16,7as at 22, and exerting its force, therefore, to retain the casing and its attached shaft 12 normally in one position.

Attached to the door 10 is an arm 23, having a cord or vflexible wire 24 attached by one end thereto and wound around the casing 2O a number of times, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the other end of the cord attached to the casing, as at 25. By this a1'- rangement it willgbe understood when the door 10 is opened the cord 24 will be drawn outward with the door and turn the casing 15, and thus wind the coiled spring and also cause the shaft 12 to be revolved with the casing and the spring, and then when the door is released the reactionary force of the spring 2O willrcause the casing 15 and shaft 12 to be rapidly revolved in the reverse direction and Aalso close the door by the same action. The spring therefore performs the double function of rapidly revolving the shaft 12 and casing 15 at the return movement of the door and of closing the door.

Attached to the casing 15 and also to the shaft 12 at suitable intervals are radial blades or'- brushes 25', the brushes being spaced apart longitudinally' of the shaft and casing and also transversely thereof, as shown. The blades or brushes are by this arrangement rapidly rotated not only when the door is opened, but when it is closed, thus being in motion throughout the swinging movement of the door, and being located adjacent to the door-opening at the free edge of the door ICO the arm 23 when the door is closed, as illusi trated in Fig. 3. The length of the stem 28 will be such that the plunger 27 will be at the inner end of the cylinder 26 when the door is closed, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, so that the arm 23 will serve to retain the plunger in its innermost position when the door is closed.

Between the outer end of the cylinder 26 and the enlarged head 29 on the outer end of the stem 28 is a coiled spring 30, arranged to exert its force to maintain the stem outward or to force the stem and its plunger outward when released when opening the door, the outward position of the plunger being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

lVhen the door returns in closing, the arm 23 will again engage the outer end of the stem 28 and force the plunger 27 inward against the air within the cylinder 26, which, being compressed by the movement of the plunger, will resist the inward movement of the door caused by the action of the spring 20, and thus canse it to slowly close and prevent the door from being closed with a jar. The spring 2O will be of greater strength than the resisting force of the air within the cylinder 26, together with the spring 30, so that the air cushion within the cylinder will simply act as a retarder to prevent the door from being closed too rapidly, but will at the same time slowly yield to the stronger force of the spring 20 and permit the closing of the door.

The brackets 13 14 16 will preferably be attached to a base-plate 31, which will be in turn attached to the casing 11, so that the whole shaft-supporting mechanism may be attached to or detached from the casing when the screen-door is removed or placed in position.

This makes a very simple, complete, and accu lately-operating device, which will effectually accomplish the purposes for which it is constructed and will perform the threefold function of a means for excluding flies and other insects, automatically closing the door and holding it yieldably closed and cushioning the door when closing.

The parts may be of any size or material to adapt the device to different sizes of door.

The blades or brushes 25 may be in the form of Hat plates, as shown in the drawings, and extended to any required distance, or they may be made of brush-like protuberances, as may be desired.

The bracket 16, with its upwardly-extended hub 17 engaging the casing 15, is an important feature of the invention, as it carries the whole weight of the casing and receives all the lateral strain of the lower end of the spring 20, and thereby relieves the shaft 12 of a large share of the strains to which it would otherwise be subjected.

The construction is so simple that it can be applied to the door by any person and will not require the employment of skilled mechanics to attach it, as it is only necessary to screw the plate 3l fast to the casing and the arm 23 fast to the door in transverse alinement with the cylinder 26.

The cylinder 26 will be provided with a small vent-orifice 32 to provide for the slow escape of the air, and thus relieve the pressure and permit the door to be completely closed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, a shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the dooropening, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, means for loosely engaging and independently supporting said casing, a spring Within said casing and attached by one end to said independent supporting means and by the other end to said shaft, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door by the other end, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, a baseplate adapted to be supported adjacent to the door-opening, a shaft revolubly carried by said base-plate, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, means on the baseplate for loosely engaging and-independently supporting said casing, a spring within said casing attached at one end to said independent supporting means and at the other end to said shaft, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door bythe other end, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, a baseplate adapted to be supported adjacent to the door-opening, brackets at the opposite ends of said base-plate, ashaft revolublysupported in said brackets, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, means on said base-plate for loosely supporting said casing, a spring within said casing and engaged by one end to said supporting means and by the other end to said shaft, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door by the other end, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described, brackets spaced apart and disposed adjacent to the door-opening, a shaft revolubly supported in said bracket, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, means for supporting said casing, a spring within said casing and engaged by one end to said supporting means and by the other end to said shaft, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door by the other end, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class described, a baseplate adapted to be supported adjacent to the door-opening, a shaft revolubly carried by said base-plate, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, a bracket engaging said base-plate and adapted to independently support the lower end of said casing revolubly thereon, a spring within said casing and engaged by one end to said bracket and by IOO the other end to said shaft, and an operatingcord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door by the other end, substantially as described.

6. Inadevice of the class described, a shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the dooropening, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, a bracket adapted to independently support the lower end of said casing revolubly thereon, a sp1-ing within said casing and engaged by one end to said bracket and by the other end to said shaft, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door by the other end, substantially as described.

7. In a device of the class described, a shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the dooropening, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, a bracket adapted to revolubly support thelower end of said casing and having a hub engaging the interior of said casing and forming a bearing therefor, a spring Within said casing and engaged by one end to said bracket and hub, and by the other end to said shaft, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door by the other end, substantially as described.

8. In a device of the class described, a baseplate adapted to be su pported adjacent to the door-opening, a shaft revolubly supported to said base-plate, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto and independently supported from said base-plate, a spring within said casing and engaged by one end to said independent supporting means and by the other end to said shaft, an arm upon the door, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to said arm by the other end, a cylinder upon said baseplate adjacent to said door-arm, a plungerin said cylinder having an extended stem engaging said door-arm, and a spring disposed upon said stem to maintain it normallyin its outward position, whereby said door is retarded in closing, substantially as described.

9. In a device of the class described, a shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the dooropening, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto, means for supporting said casing revolubly, a spring within said casing and connected by one end to said supporting means and by the other endvto said shaft, an arm upon, the door, an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to said arm by the other end, a cylinder adjacent to said arm and havinga plunger with a stem extended into movable engagement with said arm, and a spring disposed to maintain said plunger and stem normally outward,sub stantially as described.

l0. In a device of the class described, a shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the door-opening and provided with radiating brushes, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto and provided with brushes corresponding to the brushes on said shaft, means for supporting said casing, a spring within said casing and engaged by one end to said supporting means and by the other end to said shaft, and an operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to the door by the other end, substantially as described.

1l. In a device of the class described, a shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the door-opening and provided with radiating brushes, a casing inclosing said shaft and connected thereto and provided with brushes corresponding to the brushes on said shaft, means for supporting said casing revolubly with said shaft, aspring Within said casing engaged by one end to said supporting means and by the other end to said shaft, an arm extending from the door, Van operating-cord engaging said casing by one end and connected to said arm by the other end, a cylinder adjacent to said arm and having a plunger with a stem extended into movable engagement with said arm, and a spring disposed to maintain said plunger and stem normally outward, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH A. RAMSEY.

Witnesses:

A. H. KIDD, C. C. KNAPP. 

